Improvement in seed-planters



' AlUNrTieD STATES PATENT Ormea.

JOSEPH THOMPSON, OF DURHAMVILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEED-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part ot Letters Patent No. 16,409, dated January 13, 1857.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OsEPHl THOMPSON, of Durhamville, in the county 'of Oneida and State of New York, -have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the same areV described and represented in the following specitication and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements, I will proceed to describe their construction and operation, referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in each ot the iigures.

Figure l is a front elevation of the planter. The front covering of the right half is omitted to show the interior. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, showing the machine cut through the line z z of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is an elevation of the back, one-half of the back board being removed to show the interior; Fig. 4, pla-n ot' springplate on planting-tubes.

The nature of my invention consists in arranging a plate around the planting tubes or punches, which plate is held by springs, so as to yield and allow the punches and tubes to slip through it when they are forced into the ground to deposit seed, and as they are withdrawn the springs press the plate down, so as to hold the earth firmly around the tubes and punches while they slip up through it, thereby preventing them from becoming clogged by the earth, even if it is wet or moist, which enables the farmer to plant with my machine when he could not with any heretofore in use.

ln the accompanying drawings the board which forms the back ofthe machine is shown at A, having the sides B B fastened to it, which parts, with the doors O and D, board E, and plate F, form the Outside or case ofthe planter.

About midway on the inside of the sides B B there is a slot for the sides G, in which the journals of the roller H are fitted to turn, which has a gear, I, on a portion of itsperiphery, which is acted upon by the rack J on the travv ersing bar K when the machine is operated to plant seed.

The roller H has a series of scores around it, L L, which are made wider than any of the seed intended to be planted. In each of these scores there is a hole, a, for the seed to fall in when it is up and outwhen it is down. The holes c a are elongated and provided with slides b b, arranged to enlarge or reduce the holes to suit the seed being planted, as shown in Fig. 1.

The cleat M on the door D has a series of brushes fastened in it to project into the scores IiL and hold back all the seed in the score except what has fallen into the holes a. One of these brushes is shown by dotted lines in hig. 2 at c. There is a piece of sheet metal, d, fastened to the cleat M, so as to keep the seed out of the gear I.

The cleat N is fastened to the back A., and provided with scores, so as to tit the roller H, so as to form a seed-box, O, above said roller, which may be supplied with seed through the sliding door O.

There is a cleat, P, fastened to the back A, below the roller H, from which cleat the lower part is divided by the metal plate Q, so as to forni an apartment in front for the seed to descend and one in the rear for the apparatus that forces the seed out ot' the tubes.

ln the front apartment there is a series of partitions, It It, corresponding with the ridges on the roller H, so arranged as to conduct the seed from each of the holes a in the roller to their appropriate tubes S, when they t'all where they lodge upon and are retained by the springs T, awaiting` the descent ot' the punches V V, which force them by the springs ont ot' the tubes, so as to leave them in the ground.

The punches V V are fastened to the bar U, which bar is fastened to the traversing bar K, which is provided witha handle, NV, by which it is operated and the machine carried. This traversing bar K is arranged to traverse just inside of the back A, and is pushed down by the hand, so that the punches V V force the seed out of tlietubes, and it is drawn up by the spiral spring x, aided 'by the raising of the handle w, to lift the machine and carry it. The

bar K, rack J, and spring x are protected lrom the seed by the metal casing X.

In order to prevent the earth which may adhere to the tubes S S from being lifted by said tubes, especially if the earth is wet or moist, I have applied the spring-plateY around the tubes, which is held down by the spiral springs e e on the rodsff, to which the'plate Y is fastened, the rods being arranged to traverse in the stands y, fastened to the back A, so that the plate Y is forced upon the tubes when they are pushed into the ground to deposit the seed, and is held lirmly against the ground g t 116,409 f when the tubes are drawn out, so as to scrape oft' any earth which may adhere to thein and leave it around the seed, where it is required.

The stands hare fastened to the back A for the ends of the rods ff to stop against7 and these stands may be set to graduate the depth the seed is planted by stopping the plate Y at the required point 0n the tubes.

The machine 'having been constructed and completed as above described7 the seed is put into the box O, the holes ain the roller H being adjusted to suit the' size or quantity ot the seed to be planted. The operator takes hold ot' the handle w and pnshesit down, which turns the seed-holes a up, so that they are filled. He then lifts the handle which turns the roller so that the seed falls from the roller into the tube S on the spring T, so that when the handle is pushed down again the tnbesS are forced into the earth until the'` plate Y is stopped by the rods j' striking the stands h, when the punches e e force the seed by the springs T out of the tubes7 so as to leave them in the ground. As the tubes are draw n up the springs e press the plate Y against the ground", so as to hold the earth firm around the tubes and seed,

Which is a great advantage liever before attained, besides it keeps the tubes from clogging it' the ground is Wet or moist or otherwise adhesive, so that it could not be planted With any'of the machines heretofore made.

I find a scored or grooved roller a great advantage in planting long seeds-such as beans.

JOSEPH THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

J. DENNIs, Jr., JOHN S. HoLLrNGsHEAD. 

